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Factual errors: When Charley's mom's minivan was rear-ended after they had stopped, both of the van's front airbags deployed. Airbags are specifically designed NOT to deploy during a rear impact.See more »

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[first lines] Announcer:Defy reason. Defy everything you know. A mind blowing experience of the occult and supernatural. Peter Vincent. A magical tour de force. Peter Vincent. Welcome to Fright Night. Onstage at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.See more »

I had the grave misfortune of attending an early preview screening for
this piece of garbage. The audience I saw it with was less than
enthused as well. I credit them with having some actual taste. I must
disclose that I am a fan of the original film. In fact in the pantheon
of great vampire movies I feel that "Fright Night," stands tall as one
of the best ever. It's a very clever idea for a vampire film and the
original characters are a lot of fun. The original film is in many ways
a love letter to horror films and horror fans. The main character in
the original is a horror fan, his friends are horror fans and he
idolizes Peter Vincent who is the host of a late night horror movie
show. The film was post modern and gave the audience credit for having
some kind of prior knowledge. Now we are confronted with this brain
dead remake. It is hard to know where to begin in explaining how awful
this new film is.

We can start with the sad fact that the very essence of the original
characters, their arcs and their dynamics have been changed almost
completely. The main character, Charlie, is now a self-absorbed and
selfish jerk. Charlie treats his much more intelligent friend Ed like
human waste. Charlie has a hot girlfriend and is hanging out with a
much more popular crowd. Ed's intellect and peculiarities set him apart
so of course Charlie has to drop him as a friend. When a movie starts
off and your protagonist is a fake and hateful cretin it is a serious
problem.

Then there is the character of Evil Ed himself who is unfortunately
played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Mintz-Plasse has now given the
exact same tiresome performance in God knows how many movies. In the
original film Ed was a tragic character. In this one he is at best an
annoyance.

The main problem with the new characterizations lies in the
re-imagining of Peter Vincent. He is now a Las Vegas magician who
prances around like Russell Brand and almost seems like a complete
afterthought in the film. Vincent's arc in the original movie was
touching and central to the narrative's success. In this new
incarnation he hardly drives the film at all. Like every other poor
decision made by the filmmakers, the casting of David Tennant is merely
a stunt to draw the geek crowd in. He might as well not even be in the
picture.

Colin Farrell is not a disaster as Jerry Dandridge, but he is hardly a
success either. Chris Sarandon's portrayal was sly and full of little
touches that really sold the implicit threat of Dandridge. Farrell is a
very obvious actor and he gives a very obvious performance in this
movie. His character is really more of a serial killer/sexual predator
than a true master vampire. As the movie progresses he goes steadily
over the top and seems less and less threatening for doing so. By the
time he is chasing Charlie, Charlie's mom and Charlie's girlfriend on a
motorcycle he might as well be The Terminator. His supernatural
abilities rarely if ever come into play.

The film has zero atmosphere and barely comes to anything approaching
excitement. Product placement is rampant and so frequent that it
becomes hilarious. The fun, new-wave Gothic feel of the original film
has been replaced by a slick treatment more befitting a luxury car
commercial. There is no edge to this movie. The computer effects are
terrible and poorly rendered. The editing is desperate and the gotcha
moments are lame in the extreme. I was so bored watching it I resorted
to checking my watch every few minutes to see when the ordeal would be
over. If you are thinking about viewing this abomination I would
suggest streaming the original on Netflix or watching it for free on
Hulu. Your time would be better spent and you will not have wasted
thirty dollars or more on crappy, post-production 3D.

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